en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/2442912 Comments by dedekocf http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-86/#IDComment232357055 First of all I'd like to say that affirmative action does not benefit white people. In fact by definition is helps all but white people who are majority. Affirmative Action is intended as an attempt to promote equal opportunities for minority groups. It originated as a means to abolish the prejudiced views employers and organizations have towards minorities. To be honest I dont agree with affirmative action. I do acknowledge that it is good to have a diverse student and/or staff body, to give opportunities to minorities, but if you closely look at this, its complete bullshit towards white people. Its so anti racist to a point where it becomes bad. What affirmative action basically says is that a college where a white person reaaaally wants to get in is going to reject him/her in place of a black person (for example) even though his SAT and grades are significantly lower than the whiter person's. Now im pretty sure most minorities are going to say that they deserve equal opportunities but it is very easy to understand why many white people are against this. Affirmative Action turns down a better qualified white person who actually worked and studied to deserve a spot for another person with lower scores who is LESS QUALIFIED just because affirmative action says they should try and keep a more diverse student body. What many people dont understand or dont see is that even though someone is against affirmative action doesnt mean they hate minorities or are racists at all. It also doesnt mean they dont want minorities to strive. I wouldnt care to be rejected by a college in place of a black person for example if such black person did better than me on the SATs or are better qualified. I can completely understand that. However, being rejected by a really important internship because the company needs "20% of the staff to be black" seems just unfair to me. Having said that, I do agree that AA is useful as to helping certain individuals. I have said in the pasts paragraphs that AA does not help corporations as a whole by not hiring or accepting a better qualified candidate, however the help provided by AA to certain individuals is very important. A certain individual with health and physical disabilities has a very hard time finding jobs. This prevents him/her from making his own money and buying his medications. What AA does is that it allows this individual to get a job, even though he may not be the best qualified person for such job, which in turns allows him to make for a normal and comfortable living. To sum everything up, I agree with AA in some cases, however, more and more AA is being abused and it turns out that instead of helping minorities, AA is simply just screwing it up big time for white people and better qualified people. Sat, 3 Dec 2011 23:40:59 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/12/02/voices-from-the-classroom-86/#IDComment232357055 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-76/#IDComment226906688 What a victim of sexual abuse would need to speak out is a very difficult issue for me to answer because I havent personally experienced something similar to it. However, i do feel that there are certain things that are essencial for a victim to feel comfortable speaking out. First of all, the victim would have to feel safe speaking out. They would have to know that no additional harm would come to them as a result of speaking about their experiences. A very common thing for sexual assault victims is that they are threatened by the offenders if they speak out, so they do not feel safe/comfortable speaking out. In addition, victims are very concerned about the way people will see them in an inferior or pitiful way. This causes them to deal with their assault without involving any family or friends which would ultimately help them. Another very alarming issue victims have when dealing with sexual assault or any other type of victims for that matter is that many times they blame themselves for what has happened to them and they start hating themselves for it. It is crucial that a victims understand that it is not their fault and that they are not inferior to anyone just because of it. With the help of friends and professionals, the victim would have to come to understand that they cant blame themselves and that they can overcome such an obstacle. And finally, and probably the most common and important issue is that victims of sexual assault are afraid of the changes their family will go through if they speak out. We all know that offenders of sexual assault are usually family members and if a victim speaks out they are many times afraid that their family will crumble down and they would rather live in silence than blame themselves for such an occurrence upon their family. Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:07:54 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/15/voices-from-the-classroom-76/#IDComment226906688 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-74/#IDComment220643785 If the student body is going through the five stages of grief? Well I guess that varies from different people and different backgrounds. I for example jumped straight to stage five when i heard the news. Yes it's true that I don't follow football so much, and i'm not that kind of extreme fan, but i tried to look at the situation through a logical view; a view that would benefit the university as a whole. That being said, I looked at the facts and how Joe was treated and I can absolutely say that it was a fair decision. If that were any other person we wouldn't think twice on firing him. Yes it's true that Joe has done sooo much for this university and he is a part of all our lives, but that still doesnt pardon him in my opinion and the backlash the university would receive if they didnt do anything about it would be enormous. He was going to retire anyways, its just a shame his career had to end in such a way. Following on into the student body, I could see the vast majority of people going through the stages. Stage one being denial, I remember being at a friends apartment with a couple of friends and they all looked at each other and said "It cant be!". Five minutes later, everyone was at the streets protesting for a cause im still trying to figure out honestly. (I think they were protesting to let him coach one last game, if it wasn't that, they were definitely protesting against rape laws!). As for stage three four and five, people are slowing getting there, some more than others. People are slowly understanding that the university will never be the same and the football team will never be the same because we have lost someone very dear to all of us. Thinking about this is very hard for some people and some people really do get very emotional. Im not flaming anyone who is still angry, or is still sad, or still feels some type of feeling towards this situation, but in my opinion people should try and think about the situation and move on to stage five. It is not worth it to mourn over this situation, the best thing to do is to wipe everything out and start from square one, which is what the university is trying to do. Having said that, im afraid that some people will never get to stage five, they will remain eternally angry and pissed and depressed about this, loosing all hope in the university and in the football team, and honestly I just feel sad for such people. Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:29:25 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/10/voices-from-the-classroom-74/#IDComment220643785 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment217864710 Why americans dont want to take the jobs that the undocumented Mexican immigrants do is a question that goes beyond personal occasions and more into societal structure. America is a considerably rich country, with an above average minimum wage, and extraordinary population literacy and educational standards. This means that the average american has graduated from a good high school and in many situation even has a college degree. That being said, we look at the jobs that these undocumented Mexican immigrants are taking and we realize that the truth is that americans are over qualified for such jobs. The average american is not gonna take those hard manual labor for extremely low wages because he doesnt "deserve" that. When we take a look at the Mexican immigrant situation, we observe that for the great majority, these immigrants are extremely poor, they havent finished high school, sometimes they cant even read, and they reproduce like lab rats! In other words, they need whatever job they can get in order to provide food and shelter for themselves and their 30 children :P The above was only an educational view at the situation. This issue is much more complex. For example, if we look at the language barrier that undocumented mexican immigrants have it is logical that they would only be taken by jobs that require no talking, only manual work. Needless to say that such immigrants are illegal, and in order to take a higher-paid job they would have to present legal documents. A very interesting aspect of this issue is the consequence of the mexicans taking such jobs and not regular americans. Though many see a problem with that, they do not realize that this only benefits America. Regular americans who are not willing to take on such jobs will therefore take higher-paid jobs and have a more positive and stronger influence on the countries economy! In other works: more jobs and more money for america. Mexicans who come to the USA usually come with their entire family and so the money they receive will stay in america! Sun, 6 Nov 2011 22:47:24 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/11/03/voices-from-the-classroom-66/#IDComment217864710 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-53/#IDComment214140239 If immigration would suddenly come from a halt in the United States, the country would most definitely face an economical and workforce impact. The united states currently uses legal, as well as illegal, immigrants as cheap workforce for many industries and lower paid jobs. The abolition of immigration would mean not enough people for these kinds of jobs which would have to be replaced by americans who currently hold higher paid jobs with better conditions and benefits. That is only a minimal way of looking at this situation, we could infer so much more about immigrants and how they affect the american country and its people. For example, international students come to america for college, they pay a considerate amount of extra money as tuition compared to american students, they take jobs here and offer services and they soon become part of the "american economy". Immigrants also come to america and bring international corporations that help better american life and societal services. Going away from economical topics, lets talk about how the abolition of immigration would change cultural aspects of america. The united states currently has a great variety of cultures residing in the country, providing a great deal to the richness of the cuisine, fashion, and even family traditions. The abolition of immigration would mean a slow fall of legit cultural restaurants, fashion trends from europe, etc.. until everything would disappear but the very core of the american culture. I dont know what people think about this, but in my opinion, any culture that does not have an influence from other cultures is pretty boring and wont go anywhere economically. Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:09:41 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/27/voices-from-the-classroom-53/#IDComment214140239 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210754943 When a person hangs out with a group of people who are not of their color/race does that make them a poser? When I think about this question I have to associate it with all those people who are extremely proud of their own race and consider themselves to be "superior" or different in a way. It is true that they may be different physically and even physically superior in a certain environment, but that has nothing to do with interactions people have with other people of different races. People from a certain race who see another person from their own race hanging out with a different group of people of different races who consider such person to be a poser are very narrowed minded. I think its the most ridiculous thing to label someone a poser just because they hang out with people from a different race. Im not saying that they absolutely arent posers, they very well might be big posers, but to judge them as posers would have to go into something deeper than only looking at the people they hang out with. When I lived in Brazil, i used to study at an international school, which had a cost significantly higher than regular brazilian schools. When i was in 9th grade i changed into a regular brazilian school and made the best friends of my life. However, whenever we would go out, I would also invite my friends from the international school and our group would always be separated except for me. Both groups would tell me i acted different when i was with the other group, when in fact i was acting as my normal self. What happened is that they would look at me differently because i was hanging out with another group they werent comfortable with. I know this doesnt involve specifically race groups, but I feel that it represents the same situation. I feel that the most important thing when you see a person hanging out with a group of a different race is to see that their personal beliefs and ideas are not altered to fit in or be accepted in another group. A person who does change themselves when they hang out with a different group is a poser. Sat, 22 Oct 2011 01:45:39 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/20/voices-from-the-classroom-51/#IDComment210754943 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-45/#IDComment208050599 Being a Brazilian has shaped the way in which I see the world because of the international and varied ethnic experiences that I have had throughout my life. When I lived in Brazil, races are all part of the same culture and there weren’t many instances of racism between ethnicities, which allowed me to grow up with a broad understanding and comprehension of other races. Now that I am in America, there has been a change in that notion since there is more awareness and frustration towards racism and ethnic minorities. Although I am from Brazil, my features are similar to Caucasians: I have white skin, blue eyes and light hair. Because of this, I feel that I have benefits from both being and not looking like an ethnic individual. For example, if I get into a discussion or I am just involved in a conversation between a group of people including white and non-white people, I am one of the few people that could really fall under any of these categories. Throughout my life I have been mistaken for an American because of my appearance, in fact, I there have even been people that don’t believe that I am 100% Brazilian. This has caused me to have mostly advantages that white people may obtain such as a facilitated life by being the majority. White people don’t have that sense of cultural and ethnic fear when they talk to me since they see me as equals and if it weren’t for my language, they would probably forget that I was from Brazil. Likewise, I can also fit into the ethnic category in the previously mentioned discussion. Many times, internationals and ethnic minorities feel more comfortable with each other because they have a sense of belonging. For example, I feel comfortable with non-whites because I have lived in other countries such as Panama where I have been encountering Hispanics, Blacks, Asians, etc. Although I might not have a sense of belonging with each particular group (except Hispanic/Latinos) I don’t have that white perception of “internationals” and political correctness as being such a thin line. I don’t think I experience negative effects from my race, which is why I might feel that race hasn’t played such a crucial role in my life. Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:29:06 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/13/voices-from-the-classroom-45/#IDComment208050599 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-40/#IDComment204869318 I would like to begin this response by saying that i don't have an answer for the question simply because I don't believe that the question is valid. Yes women wear high heels (whoever invented those ruined if for all us short guys D: ), yes women wear short skirts, yes women wear tight jeans and dresses for the sole purpose of looking good for the opposite sex, or other women for that matter. However, I believe the question is invalid because men also go out of their comfort zone when it comes to clothing in order to impress other women and/or guys. Yes its true that for the most part, men's attire is far more comfortable than that of women but that is not related to the men's choice of not wearing something comfortable. Instead of asking "Why women sacrifice their comfort and men dont?" they should be asking "Why or what influenced society in dictating men's and women's attire as appealing?" This is a far more valid question because clearly we know that society definitely has the major role when it comes to deciding clothing. People of different cultures wear different clothing and people from different times wear different clothing. We can conclude that 'evolution' of society is a bigger influence as to what men and women wear nowadays. If we go back to prehistoric ages, when society wasnt so demanding as it is nowadays, we can see that men and women werent really concerned with fashion, but survival. They would wear nothing or probably a piece of fury cloth to cover their areas like we see in movies. Some isolated indian tribes still dont use 'normal clothing', rather they use their own cultural attires. By observing this, women should actually think about what they are wearing and why they are wearing it before going out. If they realize they are doing it for the wrong reasons, or if they dont agree with those reasons being important, then they should just wear whatever makes them comfortable and stop blaming life for their uncomfortable. Im pretty sure this downfall on comfortable clothes began with some women who started wearing really tight clothes and heels to make her taller. Having said that, id like to conclude by saying "girls, blame other girls" :D peace Sat, 8 Oct 2011 17:14:55 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/10/06/voices-from-the-classroom-40/#IDComment204869318 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-25/#IDComment200962885 I honestly have a double, sort of contradicting, opinion on this topic. The United States of America is in a very tight situation when it deals with aiding foreign countries as it is considered one of the world's super power and aiding the lesser developed countries is more of an obligation. In this context, I believe the United States should aid other countries with resources that the specific country needs. This will vary from different countries obviously but as a country with more availability and more resources sending in food or money is really an obligation in the world we live in. Some can see this as a "means to an end" where the United States helps a certain country and such country is then indebted to the United States as if owing them something. It is fair to say that this would be true however I believe the US should do it out of humanitarian reasons and not any political or economic paybacks. Having said that, I strongly believe aiding countries is a really sensitive matter. Its not just sending in care packages of food and expecting to cure hunger. Its not just sending in medicines and expecting the yellow fever or other diseases to be extinguished from the population. Aiding other countries is a far more complex process than many people think. It takes the right amount, the right supply, the right management and the right distribution for an aid to actually make a positive difference for the country receiving it. Aiding a country requires basic knowledge of the country first. The US has to know how the government works, how the society lives, even the geographical features of the country matters when it comes to aiding the country. The US has aided some foreign countries with money to help ease up their situation but the money hasn't gone past the government due to a corrupted body of rulers! This leads me to my other perspective where there should be no aiding at all. I know it may sound a little radical and out of the question but aiding countries with resources not always helps the country and its situation. Take for example a country that has been struck with a natural disaster and has been devastated. The country is out of resources, homes have been destroyed, the government has to help the society and as a result the economy of the country is faced with a deep downfall. The US then sends in food resources for the country. It sounds like that is the right thing to do, however, distributing food means the aided country is not buying food from its own producers, which means the economy is not growing or improving in any matter, which finally means the aided country will remain dependent of foreign help because it is not allowed to grow on its own! In conclusion, I still am uncertain wether the best type of aid is food/resource, financial, or no aid at all! Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:20:21 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/27/voices-from-the-classroom-25/#IDComment200962885 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment191767672 Personally, i dont think of a persons color, religion, or race whenever I look at their beauty factor. If a person is beautiful, it doesnt matter if they are black or white, jewish or latin, a beautiful person is a beautiful person. This may sound very cliche to some people, but it is very true. My parents are strong catholics but I dont think they would have a problem with me dating any different religion or race. Maybe I can say this because Im a guy and girls have a harder time finding a mate that stand up to their parents' standards. Having said that, I have to admit that I am mostly attracted to white women, specially blondes. I am currently in a serious 3-year relationship with a panamanian girl who is dark skinned and a brunette which just proves that my favorite traits dont really mean ill only date a certain group of women. In my opinion, interacial dating is a progress to human race. It exceeds common opinion and it beats the status quo. Im pro human relations and sexual orientation does not swipe in when i see them as a human being. As a conclusion I try to see people as human beings, not as classified groups. The race is insignificant when it comes to your opinion about the person as a human being and their beliefs. Their actions and who they are speak more loudly then their color, race, or origin of birth. Honestly, it really pisses me off sometimes when people diss couples that come from different backgrounds and races. Some people are still stuck to old school traditions where dating, marriage and procreation is strictly set to the same racial and religious group as they are. In my honest opinion, these old traditions will wear off some day and we will start seeing more asian-black couples, jewish-black couples, etc... It is just something that we have to forget and move forward from. Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:27:07 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/how-do-you-feel-about-interracial-dating/#IDComment191767672 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/why-do-you-follow-any-religion-at-all/#IDComment189207755 I have always been strongly influenced by my parents and family when it came to religion. Our house and family has always been strong Catholics and for most part of my life, so have I. From a very young age my parents would teach me how to properly pray when they would tuck me in bed and how to thank for the food when we were having meals. Being a innocent and obedient boy, I never questioned why we would do such things and i would only follow my parents teachings. Sundays would always be church days (which I have to admit I have always hated going) and holidays like Christmas and Easter were heavily celebrated. As I got older and start growing my own personal opinions, I have asked myself the purpose of it all. I am now a 50-50 believer. I dont know if that is even possible but I do believe that religions have their pros and cons, as well as their absurdities and gifts. As a young boy I would celebrate Christmas because of Santa Claus and presents and food, even though I knew the holiday was all about Jesus and stuff, however, a young child doesnt care for that. As I got older I started realizing that believing in a religion had lost its purpose in a large way if the holidays weren't celebrated for the right reasons. Then I realized that I just went to Church because my parents obligated me and I would sit there and doze off instead of pay attention and pray the Lord. This made me realize even more that religion didnt have much sense if it didnt have a reason. This is were my 50% believer part comes in, In my strongest opinion, religion pays a very important role in situational occasions; when ur mom is in the hospital, when you have a important soccer game the next day, when you desperately need an answer on an exam, that's where religion is important. This may sound a little bad but many people are exactly like this and they say they are full believers when they obviously aren't. I hate this hypocrisy. In conclusion, im just trying to say that when my parents say something like "We wouldnt have anything if it werent for god" i just shake my head and laugh cause thats a bunch of bullshit. We have stuff because my dad wakes up everyday and works his ass off, we are healthy because we eat properly and take care of ourselves, the list goes on... On the other hand, HUMANS ARE DEPENDENT IN DESPERATE TIMES! When humans dont have anything to hold on to, when humans dont know the answer to something, when they need guidance, they have to put their faith on God cause thats their only choice! Sometimes people depend too much on God, but other times, relying on God for answers and doubts and problems gives people a temporary satisfaction. Sat, 3 Sep 2011 02:15:38 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/09/01/why-do-you-follow-any-religion-at-all/#IDComment189207755 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/what-americans-fear/#IDComment147413726 Watching the video honestly affected me. Some of the images were very disturbing and generated a certain feeling of despise towards the Islamic people given that all the images were "crimes" they have committed towards western countries and christians. I put the word crimes is quotes because it is very hard to determine what a crime is without considering both sides. A crime always has a point of view, just like wars and enemy countries have points of views. A man who runs into a crowd of american soldiers and blows himself up may be seen as a fucking suicide bomber that killed our troops, however, an american soldier may have entered his house, raped his wife and molested his kid in front of him and he is just doing that for revenge. Would you still consider it a crime? I know i wouldnt. These videos are intended to brainwash people into believing that Islams are all bad people; that they are the enemy. These videos take advantage of the people who dont know anything about the topic, people who dont have the knowledge that the american troops are doing the same thing, if not WORSE, to the islams. At the same time, i dare to say that same videos are shown to the islams about the americans being assholes who destroyed our nation. Taken that into consideration, it is easy to predict that this "war" (which is definitely for the oil) is going to continue on for a very long time. Sat, 30 Apr 2011 03:46:56 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/19/what-americans-fear/#IDComment147413726 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145270445 Reading this article by Rolling Stone magazine completely shocked me. American soldiers killing completely innocent civilians is outrageous in every single aspect. At the same time, i would consider it somewhat predictable, even though saying so is a very serious matter. The media has imprinted this view of soldiers being fearless bold bad-asses with big guns who defend their country. However, this is not the cases sometimes, where soldiers dont even understand their purpose in war, their mission of why they are there. In such cases, it is predictable that soldiers act such way. Some people join the army to kill people and sometimes that doesnt happen. Post traumatic stress disorder and other psychological issues with soldiers may also affect their reasoning of what is right or wrong and may lead them to stupid actions like the one in the article. Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:11:08 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/16/the-kill-team-tragedy-in-the-middle-east-001-blog/#IDComment145270445 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment143291636 This post is definitely something I can relate to since I am in a long distance relationship with my girlfriend. We have been together for about two and a half years and things have completely changed when I came to college. True love is something unreachable in my opinion, humans are designed to make mistakes, to be themselves, and nobody is perfect and it is only a matter of time before the masks fall. Im not saying you have to be false to be the perfect guy for a woman, however she will most definitely pick out a bunch of flaws while you are "acting as yourself". Even though I dont believe in true love, I still try to be that perfect guy to my girlfriend; we skype everyday, text each other, call each other, I still try to pay her random compliments (her favorite), tell her new secrets, share new things about my life, basically just keep her involved in my life like id like her to be. Even though I have in mind this idea of a perfect guy, similar to what this man described in the letter, I recognize when im "going against" such ideal, however, there's nothing I can do about it. Whenever we are skyping and she tells me she is going out to a party and she shows me what she is wearing, it will most likely get me jealous and consequently pissed off. It doesnt matter if its because im stressed with school, have family issues, or because im just actually very jealous, the argument we have is something natural. It goes against a perfect guy and true love ideal that many people have in mind. I dont remember where I read or heard this, possibly in a movie, but it is a quote that I found very interesting and true that applies to this matter, it goes: "We love people not by their qualities, but by their flaws". Im not quite sure yet if this is entirely true but i know for a fact that we cannot love someone that is completely perfect. Reading the description of the "perfect guy", i noticed that he mentioned several times that it is the man's job, or duty, to support his woman, be their for her all the time, look over her, protect her. And I personally believe that men should really do that, however, a part of me also considers how attractive a independent woman can be. Women have been fighting for a long time to have the same rights as men, to be treated the same way as men, however, when it comes to relationships, the men is always supposed to provide money and food and protection for the women and I feel like this is unfair. I would say very very few women would be happy with a relationship where the man does everything for them, so I dont necessary agree with all the descriptions of what a man should be as the author does. Sat, 16 Apr 2011 03:36:58 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/03/what-a-man-is/#IDComment143291636 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/war-vets-and-ptsd/#IDComment141154741 War veterans are subject to many psychological disorders after being exposed to the hostile environment that is experienced throughout war. Some of these mental disorders are depression and post traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by the exposure to a traumatic event that is responded with fear and where symptoms of it are present for more than a month (according to the DSMIV). In a psychological point of view, PTSD and depression impairs cognitive abilities and the psyche, which will result in overall failure to properly function. What this translates to into the real world is the inability to adjust when returning home from war, including substance dependency, job loss and even suicide. The military trains soldiers to kill, strategize and plan, yet they fail to teach them how to have their life back. When entering war, words such as nationalism, pride, unity and “army strong” are constantly repeated to provide a positive connotation for reasons to want to be a part of the military. In the United States, this is used through the media and advertisements, which encourage military allocation of fundings, involvement of US civilians and support from the country. However, this advantages of war are only some of the few realities that the government wants to expose because they benefit from hiding others: if many people would know the possible psychological effects that result from war, maybe many would not enter it in the first place. Many war veterans suffering from PTSD and depression is due to the oppression received while at war. Because the image of the military is all about courage and strength, the representation of weakness is wrong. This may later be learned and done when back home, which will prevent people from understanding the troubling moments veterans are going through. Likewise, the feeling of collectiveness in wars obliges soldiers to feel pressured to follow orders and even put the unit over their own life and health. Sat, 9 Apr 2011 03:19:36 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/04/07/war-vets-and-ptsd/#IDComment141154741 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment137616977 This article begins by providing the reader with the prediction that organized religion will eventually vanish in nine western countries. Religion is such a crucial part of social and cultural identity that having this decline in importance in the lives of many people living in these countries says a lot about the progressive nature of today’s society. It is important to consider the fact that due to globalization and the increase of technology, science has become key to understanding the world. Science in many aspects can be considered religion’s contender, since it contradicts with religion (we see the through various theories, such as evolution vs. creationism). One of the assumptions that were mentioned were the benefits that are gained by not being affiliated with religion. Religion has a lot of rules and boundaries that limit the individual to explore discoveries in technology and science; by not being affiliated to religion, there is no restriction. Likewise, it is easier for someone to become ‘unaffiliated’ than from ‘unaffiliated’ to religious because not only are the rules dictating aspects of technology, but also of daily life that may not be the most convenient or comfortable. Close religious communities are very strict and religiously oriented, predominantly those found in eastern countries. Secular countries such as the ones in the prediction are open and acceptant to many religious, which causes a country to have many minorities instead of a singular religious majority. Because religion is such an abstract entity, there is greater likelihood that one will prefer to benefit from technology because it has concrete results. Furthermore, although religion contributes to the unity and nationalism of many, it may create conflict and alienation, which many want to prevent. This can later on support the assumption that people want to be a part of the majority. Another point that is important to keep in mind is how religion, unlike in the past, seems to be the one having to adapt to the present society and not the other way around. Sat, 26 Mar 2011 02:15:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/03/24/religion-in-the-future/#IDComment137616977 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130738051 After watching this news report, I can definitely understand how parents would continue telling their kids that they should never talk to strangers. It is true that the percentage that something like a child kidnapping occurs is remotely none, however, when it does happen in society and there is a news report about it, parents watch and it just reminds them that it could happen to their children (which statistically is nearly impossible seeing that this is such a rare event). I do consider "Never talk to strangers" bad advice for a child, seeing that infant victims of abduction and kidnapping are never the ones to approach a stranger. The children that are indeed abducted don't necessarily talk to the stranger, the stranger just comes and takes them, like seen in the video. Children who do talk to strangers and ask for help when they cant do something on their own are safer and smarter in my opinion. After analyzing this whole parent advising, I conclude it is all dependent in our "pessimistic" society. It is hard to find someone who looks at things the good way, rather, everyone is looking at how things go wrong and how to prevent them. "Never talk to strangers" is an advice given by pessimistic parents who ignorantly watch television and news report and believe it is something common and are certain that it could happen to their kids. As a kid, I was told never to accept candy or food from a stranger, however, my parents encouraged me to talk to strangers. This doesn't mean that they weren't afraid of child abduction like every other parent, it just meant that they aware of the risks and talking to a stranger wasn't one of them. Rather than keeping me from talking to strangers, they just told me to scream as loud as I could if someone grabbed me from them. Sat, 26 Feb 2011 01:24:26 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/21/stranger-kidnapping/#IDComment130738051 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook/#IDComment128975247 I honestly had no idea that video games were reaching that sort of level and the story was a complete surprise to me. I can definitely understand how some people, especially women, would be very offended by this game. In fact, I can understand the opinion of all the people who are against shooting, killing and now raping types of video games. However, my position in relation to these types of games is still positive. I personally would never play a raping game just cause the whole concept seems pretty boring and unusual for me, however, I do play shooting and killing games. I disagree with the women's right's group that is trying to ban all the games in Japan that have that context, as an alternative, I would suggest them to focus on not letting the game reach the children. I do not think video games have a significant influence on how people live their lives, however, the children who are in a constant learning and discovering process might play the game and adopt the raping and violent acts as acceptable by society. Those weak of mind are the ones that should be kept away from those types of games, if Japan would take the age restriction on games seriously they shouldn't have a problem. In my personal opinion, which some may think completely different, involves a theory that playing violent games actually helps an individual. Those that have violent and dangerous thoughts and beliefs are able to play shooting and killing games as a type of "therapy", this way, they are kept from doing so in reality. I believe that video games have helped many people with their violent thoughts and darkest secrets, by doing so in the video games alleviates their want of doing it in reality. Just how some people masturbate in order to alleviate their sexual thrive, others might play video games to alleviate their violent and obscure ideologies. Bottom line, don't ban the game, just enforce the restriction of age requirement to obtain and/or play the game. Sat, 19 Feb 2011 01:06:40 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2010/04/04/this-is-totally-off-the-hook/#IDComment128975247 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127440594 The American societal and cultural norms have a great impact on the life of its citizens, whether on their thoughts or their behavior. Tendencies in the United States such as the fact that Americans don’t travel abroad as much are due to some of these norms. The United States has an area of 9,826,675 sq km, where in it resides Disney World, Las Vegas, the Statue of Liberty, skiing sites, Miami Beach, San Diego Zoo, amongst many other. Living in a country with such vast destination options allows Americans to visit these without the expenses that they would have if they would want to go to a beach in Central America or a skiing site in Europe. The means of transportation can result in other, such as train and cars, which may include pit stops and family visits in the way. The American culture is a very distinct one. For instance, people in the United States might not want to go to Europe because of the distance to get there, and also because their lifestyle there is different. It is not always pleasant to go to a country that requires and contains things that Americans may not be used to do. For example, even though there might be beautiful beaches in Panama, many Americans could feel uncomfortable with the simplistic infrastructure and availability of activities. In some cases, the image of the country itself may cause Americans to feel travel would be difficult. Living in a country like Panama, traveling to the United States results in very different experiences depending on where you go, with a large difference in infrastructure, activities, and geographical features, which would probably be a similar experience for Americans themselves. Not only does having everything within state result convenient, but allows Americans to save up money and time. The effect that the Economic crisis in the United States has had in the lives of its citizens in the past years has been detrimental. People can’t afford to loose a lot of time from their works during their vacations of spend it all on trips, which would probably be the case in flying to the exterior. However, there are countries that result in cheaper trips but because of ignorance and/or stereotyping, there might be dismissal of such possibilities. The 30% of americans containing a passport reduces the knowledge of foreign culture and will limit americans as a culture as long as this number remains this low. Sat, 12 Feb 2011 00:43:47 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/02/04/the-not-so-invisible-structure-that-shapes-us/#IDComment127440594 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment126065627 As funny as the video might be for most people who watch it, I still consider it to be somewhat quite sad. We live in a society where people learn to act or think certain ways in a type of forced manner. Individuals are obliged to observe how those around behave and basically imitate what they see. Socialism nowadays forces people to ignore their individualism and conform with the general mass behavior and ideologies. Watching the video where the individuals go against their personal behavior because they observe the people around acting differently shows how strong social conformity acts upon someone. Even though we all have these invisible strings that shape our behavior and ideas, our need to fit in society overcomes these strings and causes us to act against our beliefs. What is interesting about this whole conformity idea is that most people who watch the video or watch some other type of study regarding social conformity strongly believe that they would not conform with the people around them because they know they are wrong. However, it is very likely that if they were in a situation just like the video, they too would conform to those around. It is easy for one to say that they would defend their personal beliefs and protect their individualism because they are seeing the study as an outsider; however, if they were actually in the study it is highly unlikely that they would preserve their individualism. This social conformity has such a strong influence on people that some people even lie to themselves in order to behave like the rest of the people. Like that study with different lengths of lines, some participants would actually say that they really believed line number 3 was the correct line when they would obviously deny it if they were alone. In my opinion this behavior of forfeiting your individualism so quickly to conform with those around has dominated every single individual as has many times contained brilliant ideas from individuals who are just too scared to think for themselves nowadays. Sat, 5 Feb 2011 03:50:53 +0000 http://www.worldinconversation.org/2011/01/30/conformity-rules-the-day/#IDComment126065627